While your stairs are a focal point within your home, they also present a fantastic opportunity to add a dose of personality into something that otherwise serves a simple, yet functional, purpose. Often overlooked and largely underutilized from a design standpoint, staircases can benefit tremendously from even minor upgrades. So, whether you’re designing a house from the ground up or simply looking to make improvements to the one you already own, don’t neglect this heavily trafficked area of your home.
While building or making improvements to your staircase may not seem as glamorous as, say, adding custom kitchen counters, it can make arguably as big of an impact, and at a mere fraction of the cost. So, when plotting out your staircase design or renovation, consider:
The fact that small improvements made big impressions.
Maybe your style is traditional and classic, or perhaps you prefer something more on the contemporary side. Balusters, newel posts and handrails come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and styles, and you can mix and match yours in accordance with your interior design plans, or to complement your home’s existing aesthetics.
Resell value.
If you’re building your dream home, you’re probably not envisioning moving anytime soon, but savvy homeowners know better than to make fundamental changes to a home’s interior that might turn off potential buyers (example: crazy color combinations). Even scarier for potential homebuyers than bad style, however, is a staircase that appears anything other than structurally sound – so make sure a safe set of stairs with a strong, sturdy handrail is a top priority.
Taking cues from your home’s other design elements.
Stairs, for obvious reasons, are typically in high-traffic areas, meaning pretty much anyone who enters your home is going to see, if not use, them. Why not make them serve as an extension of your home’s existing style and design? In other words, if your walls are bedecked with family photos, why not stagger some more along the steps? If the furniture in your living room combines wood and iron elements, why not opt for a staircase design that does the same?
Even minor upgrades can transform this area of your home into something uniquely yours, so, rather than see it as an afterthought, make staircase design a priority. You might be pleasantly surprised by just how much a small investment can pay off.